World Snooker has dismissed concerns over the standard of the table at the Masters, saying it has found “no” issues.
The second Triple Crown event of the season got under way on Sunday at London’s Alexandra Palace, with defending champion Shaun Murphy and current UK title holder Mark Selby falling at the first hurdle to Chinese duo Wu Yize and Xiao Guodong.
While both results rank as upsets, not for the first time this season, the focus quickly shifted on to the playing conditions which were criticised by seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry and six-time Crucible winner Steve Davis.
Both suggested there was a problem with balls drifting off line and clinging to cushions before dropping into corner pockets in both contests.
“There’s something wrong with the table,” Davis said during Xiao’s victory over Selby.
“It happened this afternoon. The balls are hugging the rail. The top slates need levelling up. The table fitters need to go out and check the level of the top slate.
“If those balls are hugging that top rail, then it’s going to make the game incredibly easy to make big breaks. It’s also wrong that a ball should go in that easily. This looks like it’s not level.”
In response, the organisers of the invitation-only Masters, which typically features only the top-16 ranked players in the world, said: “The table is checked before, during and after every match, as is standard at any event.
“We strive to provide the best possible playing conditions and our team of expert table fitters do a fantastic job.”